Page 41 - IRANRptAug19

The Statistical Centre of Iran (SCI), in its latest report on the matter, said rental prices in Iran increased by 21.7% y/y in the fourth quarter of the 2018/2019 Persian calendar year (ended March 20).
The minimum price per square metre of residential floorspace in Tehran stood at IRR28,000 ($0.20) in the capital’s poor southern districts, with the maximum price being IRR1.71mn ($12). The prices do not take into account the required deposit.
Some 300 Iranian nationals obtained Turkish citizenship under a “golden visa” scheme between last September and February this year, state-run news service Anadolu has reported.
The scheme offers citizenship in exchange for a certain level of real estate investment. In September, the government cut the investment threshold from $1mn to $250,000.
Since September, 1,276 foreign nationals from 63 countries have been granted golden visa citizenship, with Iranians constituting the largest group with 289.
In the first quarter of this year, Iranians purchased 946 pieces of real estate in Turkey. That put them in the second place after Iraqis, who bought 1,782 properties.
Also in the first three months of this year, property sales to foreign nationals hit a total of 9,618 units.
“Iranians have typically sought US, Canadian citizenship or citizenship from a European country. However, this changed after the Syrian conflict, which triggered an influx of refugees, and the anti-immigrant policies of US President Donald Trump,” Fatih Cayabatmaz, a partner in VIPTurkishPass, a consulting firm, reportedly said.
He added that after the US slapped the Tehran regime with sanctions, Iranians, who fear political and economic uncertainties, increased their property purchases in Turkey.
9.1.8 Retail sector news
Iranian police last week closed down 547 restaurants and cafes in Tehran for non-compliance with “Islamic principles,” the capital’s police chief said, according to Fars News Agency.
Iran’s so-called morality patrols and regular police forces often crack down on what is perceived as the “Westoxified” culture of people of opposite sexes mingling. However, in recent years, people of the younger generation turning 18 have paid little attention to the strict rules set in place in 1979 following the Islamic Revolution.
“A total of 547 businesses have been closed and 11 offenders arrested,” Major Hossein Rahimi said in a statement posted on the Tehran police website. The Fars report noted that the operation was carried out over 10 days across the Iranian capital.
Violations included "unconventional advertising in cyberspace, illegal music and debauchery," the police report said. “Compliance with Islamic principles is ... one of the main tasks and duties of the police,” said the police chief.
In trendy establishments, especially in uptown Tehran, female clients often do not respect the obligation to wear the Islamic veil and reveal their hair.
41 IRAN Country Report August 2019 www.intellinews.com